Wed Feb 13 15:51:57 2008

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Around FCS: The Rich Get Richer

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Philadelphia (Sports Network) - My e-mail inbox has been overflowing in the past few days with one simple question: "How do you think our school did with its recruiting class?"

Rating recruiting classes has become a cottage industry in recent years, and everyone from Car and Driver magazine to Better Homes and Gardens seems to take a crack at analyzing the results these days.

It is indisputable that few things that college coaches do - at any level - have as much bearing on the success of their programs as does recruiting.

No matter how much you attempt to dissect a school's recruiting success, however, the fact remains that it is all speculative, and no one really knows how good a player will be until he steps foot on campus and begins to practice.

If the experts were so good at their craft, we wouldn't have players like Brian Westbrook slipping through the recruiting cracks and ending up at a relatively small school like Villanova.

We can look back now at a career filled with achievements like winning the Walter Payton Award, and becoming a Pro Bowl running back at the next level. But a decade back, few if any college recruiters other than those at Villanova believed in the pint-sized, but uber-talented runner. And even the Wildcat coaching staff wasn't sure what they had uncovered.

The same can be said for under-recruited players at a variety of FCS schools every year, and I'm sure we will eventually see plenty more rags to riches stories from this year's recruiting class. We just won't know for awhile who has caught lightning in a bottle.

So with that disclaimer in place, we offer our take on the 2008 recruiting class.

Among the schools who received pretty much unanimous approval for their recruiting efforts were Appalachian State, Eastern Washington, Illinois State, McNeese State, Massachusetts, Villanova, Richmond, Northwestern State and a couple of big surprises, Indiana State and Georgetown.

Others getting props included Georgia Southern, New Hampshire, James Madison, Old Dominion, Central Arkansas, Northern Iowa, Duquesne, Northern Colorado, Rhode Island, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Fordham and Cal Poly.

Appalachian State has made the most of its regular television appearances and media exposure in its three-year national championship run. The Mountaineers scored big again by recruiting even more of their trademark speed.

Heading up the ASU class is a burner named Ingram Bell, a player who is listed as an athlete, but is likely to end up in the Mountaineer secondary as another lock-down cover guy at cornerback. Bell originally committed to Vanderbilt and former Furman coach Bobby Johnson, but Bell reconsidered and found his way to Appalachian State.

Others to keep an eye on in this Mountaineer class include 270-pound defensive tackle Malcolm Bennett, defensive backs Ed Gainey and Justin Lloyd, defensive end Jordan Gary and kicker Sam Martin. Martin's signing was significant in that ASU coach Jerry Moore seldom has given scholarship money to a kicker.

Also signed was running back Roderick Chisholm from Charlotte's Independence High School, and Armanti Edwards' future replacement at quarterback, Tampa's DeAndre Presley.

Eastern Washington was viewed as having the top FCS recruiting class by Rivals.com, despite the fact that the Eagles had a coaching change in the middle of recruiting season, with Paul Wulff moving to Washington State and new coach Beau Baldwin returning to the Eagles after serving a year as the head coach at Central Washington.

The centerpiece of the Eagle recruiting class is quarterback Darius Banks, a dual-threat performer from Culver City, CA, in the shadow of UCLA. Banks was being recruited by such schools as Oregon, Toledo, San Jose State and Kansas State.

If Banks doesn't live up to his hype, Scott Burgett is a prototype drop-back passer and Jeff Minnerly is another speedster waiting in the wings.

Other standouts heading to Cheney, WA. include defensive lineman Evan Cook, who picked EWU over Fresno State and linebackers Brian Karwacki and Jordan Tuia, as the Eagles tried to bolster their defense.

With a talented team returning from the unit that advanced to the quarterfinals last season, Eastern Washington might be pressing Montana as the top dog in the Big Sky Conference.

Big Sky clubs Montana and Portland State brought in respectable classes, but struggling Northern Colorado was probably the biggest surprise out west. The Bears nailed down an outstanding defensive end in Nick Hernon, as well as offensive lineman Nicolas Candler and wide receiver Patrick Walker.

Montana's group includes defensive back Mike Cummings, offensive linemen Blake Lebeau and Matt Lipski and running back Dan Moore. With a large group of graduating seniors, Grizzly coach Bobby Hauck is expecting immediate contributions from some of his youngsters.

Portland State used the charm of coach Jerry Glanville to bring in wide receiver Deric Davis, defensive back Josh Foley, quarterback Kramer Hagan and Cory McCaffrey.

Cal Poly was the class of the Great West Conference in recruiting, highlighted by linebackers Quentin Greenlaw and Ryan Medina and athlete Andre Broadous.

After a 4-7 campaign, not too many people would have expected much from Illinois State's recruiting efforts, but the Redbirds claimed one of the top classes in FCS as coach Denver Johnson and company emphasized speed.

Highlights include defensive tackle Blake Gumm and defensive back Khenon Hall, a pair of highly-touted transfers from Trinity Valley Community College. But there were some solid high schoolers added as well, with defensive end Nick Broome, defensive back Austin Davis and wide receiver Dekendrick Moncrief, who may bring back memories of Laurent Robinson.

Joining Illinois State with a sparkling recruiting class is a team that has been one of the bottom-feeders of FCS, Indiana State. But the Sycamores have gained some excitement under new coach Trent Miles.

Among the players who will try to turn around Indiana State's fortunes are defensive backs Aaron Archie and Julian Easterly, and defensive ends Nate Williams and Lawrence Young.

Coming off a No. 1 ranking in the regular season, Northern Iowa scored with offensive linemen Kyle Staudt and Tim Sauer, running backs Carlos Anderson, Joe Johnson, Rayon Simmons and De'Andre Vandevender, receiver Kenyad Blair, linebackers Joe Cason and L.J. Fort, athlete Craig Ralls and defensive backs Garrett Scott and Nico Watson.

McNeese State continued rebuilding its base with another strong class for coach Matt Viator. Heading up the group is running back Alonzo Landry, a 225- pound powerhouse from nearby Lafayette, La.

Others plums picked from the productive Louisiana high school ranks included linebacker Juarelle Narcisse, defensive back Ford Smesny and offensive linemen Daniel Paulus and Alec Savoie. Paulus is already 6-4 and 300 pounds, while the highly recruited Savoie is 6-7 and 290.

An additional recruit is quarterback Zachary Fourroux, the younger brother of current McNeese State signal-caller Derrick Fourroux.

Another Louisiana team to score big in recruiting was Northwestern State. Heading up a strong group are quarterback Alex Williams, 308-pound defensive tackle Khalid Wilson, wide receiver Spencer Harrell and an athlete named Cashas Pollard.

Central Arkansas is another Southland team to keep an eye on, with a recruiting class that includes linebacker Carson Knowlton and wide receiver Travis Anderson.

UMass didn't bring in many players, but the Minutemen went for quality, if not depth. Coach Don Brown has to be pleased with offensive lineman Quinton Sales, a 278-pounder who runs well, and linebacker Adedeji "D.J." Adeoba, whose speed will fit in with the Minutemen's blitzing schemes.

UMass picked up five transfers, including 280-pound redshirt freshman Corey Kason, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Warren Wilson from Boston College, and 275-pound defensive lineman Raymond Jones, a redshirt sophomore from Delaware.

But the Minutemen weren't the only ones from the Colonial Athletic Association to score big in the recruiting wars. Villanova and Richmond also came up big.

The Wildcats ventured into the backyard of Sports Network country to lure promising 6-6, 311-pound offensive lineman Travis Poston from Hatboro-Horsham High School. Other solid pickups by coach Andy Talley's staff included quarterback Chris Johnson, running backs Lawrence Doss and Dorian Wells, a pair of small, but speedy runners, wide receiver Norman White and strong- legged kicker Nick Yako.

Richmond didn't miss a beat following coach Dave Clawson's departure to Tennessee as offensive coordinator. The Spiders used their run to the semifinals to reel in such standouts as safety Darryl Hamilton, receivers Harry Daniel and Kevin Finney and a trio of linebackers, Derek Mayo, Darius McMillan and Lee Rose.

New coach Darren Rizzi and Rhode Island made some inroads with a 23-player class that included a pair of highly-ranked athletes, wide receiver Tyquan Bynum and linebacker Phil Morman.

New Hampshire is another CAA club to make gains. The Wildcats were particularly pleased to grab Ken Howard, a running back and linebacker, quarterback Josh Vick and 290-pound line prospect Chris Zarkoskie.

James Madison shored up with a solid group that included quarterback Justin Thorpe, defensive back Taveion Cuffee and linebacker Chase Williams.

Old Dominion won't take the field until 2009, but the Monarchs got off to a great recruiting start and could be a force to be reckoned with in the future. ODU inked 21 players, including an outstanding quarterback prospect named Tommy Reamon Jr.

Reamon's father was Tommy Reamon, a star running back at Missouri and the MVP of the World Football League while a member of the Florida Blazers in 1974. The elder Reamon, who also played in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs, has made a name as a coach who has developed such NFL quarterbacks as Aaron Brooks and Michael Vick.

The Patriot League had some surprises, none bigger than the success of Georgetown on the recruiting trail. Coach Kevin Kelly was pleased to bring in lineman Chris Bisanzo, quarterbacks James Brady and Tucker Stafford and defensive back Rick Rattay,

Fordham, coming off a league title and an NCAA playoff berth, is expecting big things from quarterback Brian Taafe, running back Jamir Livingston and linemen Lloyd Morrison and Wesley Perryman.

Duquesne's move from the non-scholarship world to the Northeast Conference paid quick dividends. The Dukes nabbed talented linemen Eric Warning and Ron Dunn, defensive backs Dorian Lane and James Stansfield and athlete Chris Wiseman.

Western Carolina's new coach, Dennis Wagner, didn't have a lot of time to bring in a large class, but he did secure talented cornerback Ibn Ali. Other standouts included linebacker Josh Gossett, offensive lineman Brandon Hribar, wide receiver/defensive back Torez Jones, linebacker Ricky Schwarz, quarterback Randy Triplett and running back Evan Williams.

Chattanooga has earned snickers from FCS fans with classes that are routinely ranked high but then don't pan out in the fall in terms of success on the field. But the Mocs were again lauded for their recruiting class this year, with a class that includes tight end Patrick Wilkinson, a 6-7 target. Wilkinson is one of nine transfers.

Two transfer quarterbacks, Jare Gault and Mike McDonald, will battle for immediate playing time at Chattanooga.

Among the other transfers the Mocs grabbed was Josh Beard from Georgia Military College. Beard is the brother of Jerry Beard, a former rushing star at Appalachian State, and was heavily recruited by the Mountaineers.

ASU lost a pair of other recruits to Georgia Southern and South Carolina State.

Georgia Southern picked up 5-8 quarterback Leander Barney, who curiously committed to several schools, including Appalachian State, before finally signing with the Eagles.

The showcases of the Georgia Southern class are running backs David Arnold and Franklin Green, linebacker J.B. Shippy and wide receiver Nick Bass. Other standouts include defensive backs LaVelle Larry and A.J. McCray, running back Adam Urbano and wide receiver Demarcus Watts.

South Carolina State secured state product Lennel Elmore, a speedy wide receiver to head up a solid group of recruits for the second year in a row. The Bulldogs were joined at the top of the MEAC recruiting race by strong classes from Delaware State and Norfolk State.

Delaware State improved defensively with linebacker Marcus Spann and defensive end Keith Hunt, while Norfolk State is looking for big things from quarterback Dennis Brown and linebacker Michael Alphonse, both transfers.

A notable team that went the transfer route to shore up was Jackson State. After winning the SWAC title, the Tigers picked up quarterback Dominick Britt, receiver Carlos Everett, running back Bloi-dei Dorzon and linebacker Mike Evans.

In the Big South, Charleston Southern continued to stockpile talent, including running back Antwan Ivey, quarterback A.J. Toscano and defensive tackle Kamalu Umu. Chasing CSU was Coastal Carolina, with Marcus Lott as its top recruit, and Liberty, with quarterback Tyler Brennan as the key player.

The Ohio Valley Conference war, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky were riding on top, followed closely by Jacksonville State.

Eastern Illinois' top prospects include running back Kenny Williams, linebacker Gordon Kickels, lineman Ben Olson and speedy quarterback Doug Reynolds.

EKU did well, despite losing coach Danny Hope to Purdue. New coach Dean Hood was excited to sign wide receivers T.J. Brown and Gary Myers and lineman Christian Molina.

Sparked by plans of facility upgrades, Jacksonville State was able to land a pair of blue chippers in offensive lineman Tylor Chambers and quarterback Casey Weston.

However things turn out for any and all of the above players and teams, it will be fun for all fans of FCS to watch and see what stars emerge from the recruiting class of 2008. Who knows, maybe a future Payton Award or Buchanan Award winner will be among the names we've discussed above.